Bradin tried to talk to Kaitlin all day Sunday. She ignored him. On Monday, he wrote her a note and stuck it on her locker.

Kaitlin walked into school not knowing what was going to happen that day. When she got to her locker, she saw a note taped to her locker. She took it down, opened it, and read it.

"Kaitlin,

I'm sorry for Saturday night. All I wanted to do was admit my feelings to you because I really love like you. I would do anything to be with you or at least have you talk to me. Please talk to me, Kaitlin.

Bradin."

Kaitlin leaned on her locker as she finished reading the note. Sean and Stacey walked up to her.

"How are you?" Stacey asked. "We tried to see and talk to you yesterday but, you wouldn't talk to anybody."

Kaitlin handed the note to Stacey so that her and Sean could read it as she opened her locker. She could hear Stacey and Sean become surprised with what Bradin wrote.

"What are you going to do?" she heard Stacey ask as she looked for her Math and Science notebooks.

"I don't know."

"What happened Saturday night?" Sean asked.

Kaitlin closed her locker and turned around. "I went to dinner at his house and I saw how fun and caring everyone there was. I began to wonder how it would feel to have that many people care about me. Bradin brought me out of my thoughts and tickled me. I moved until I fell of the bench and then, I chased him onto the beach. I stopped chasing him to see if he realized I wasn't chasing him anymore. He sat down by me and I tried to wrestle with him and ended up losing. He said that I was cute when I was mad and pouted and when I whined. I said I wasn't cute. He goes 'You're right. You're not cute.' I gave him an agreement nod. Then, he said, 'You're gorgeous.' He tried to kiss me but that's when Tanner, Sarah, and Callie came and beat us up. You guys came after they left. After I got up and ran away from you, I told Bradin that he shouldn't be a friend of mine because I would ruin his life."

"Kait-" Sean said.

"I'm not done," she said, "We got to my house and argued there, too. He told me that he wants me to be his girlfriend after he kissed me."

"What did you say to him?" Stacey asked.

"Nothing. I turned away and walked into my house. After I shut my door, I heard him yell. I can't talk to him."

"Why?" Sean asked. "He really likes you."

"He doesn't like me. He loves me. Look at the word he crossed out," she said taking the paper from Stacey, " 'I really love like you.' He can't love me."

"Why?" Callie asked walking up to them. "You don't know how much you're hurting him by not talking to him."

"I can't talk to him," Kaitlin said.

"Why?" the three asked.

"I CAN'T!" she screamed before storming off.

Kaitlin was pissed that she had Math that day. She didn't want to talk to Bradin, not yet anyway. She sat down next to him and decided to ignore him if he tried to talk to her. He didn't do anything. He sat there concentrating on the teacher. She could tell that he was upset.

On her way to lunch, Kaitlin stopped at her locker to drop her books off and to get the ones she needed for after lunch. She stood at her locker trying to figure out what she had when she heard a guy yell. She moved her locker door and saw Bradin sitting on the ground with his fingers through his hair. She had this feeling inside her body that wanted to go and talk to him. Something stopped her and that something was her mind. She always listened to her mind and not her heart. She saw Callie trying to talk to Bradin but he kept pushing her away.

School ended and Kaitlin headed home. She sat on her bed trying to do her homework. She was finding it very hard to concentrate on homework with other things running her things through her mind. She got up, grabbed a hoodie since it was chilly out, and walked out of her house.

Bradin sat in his room thinking about what Kaitlin told him about going back to his friends who hurt her. No. I can't, he thought, If I love her the way I do, I can't. He lied back on his bed and sighed.

"Bradin?" he heard his sister say as she knocked on his door.

"What?" he yelled.

"Are you okay?"

"I want to be alone," he told her.

He didn't hear anything from her after that. He lied there for a few minutes until he heard someone knock on his door.

"Go away!" he yelled. They ignored him and knocked again. Bradin got up in anger and threw the door open. He saw Kaitlin standing there and became calm. "Kaitlin," he said.

"Do you still want to talk?" she asked. He smiled and let her into his room.

"Sit," he said pointing to the bed. He watched as she sat down and then, he sat down next to her. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Stop," she said before he could go on, "I should be the one saying sorry. I'm sorry about Saturday night."

"So am I," he said.

"Bradin," she said, "don't. I was scared."

"So was I. after I saw you coughing up the blood, I had to tell you. Yes I know we've only known each other for a day. But, I feel like I've known you for as long as I can remember. The time I spent with you was amazing. It was the best time I've had. I enjoy being around you."

Kaitlin sighed and covered her face up with her hands.

"How are you after Saturday?" he asked.

"Confused about everything that's been going on. What happened in school today?"

"I was upset because I thought I chased you away with what I wrote in the note. Callie wants to become one of your friends, too."

She looked and him and back at the floor.

"Why did you come here?" he asked.

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask that," she said, "I came here because you took over my mind. After I heard you yell in school and how upset you were, I had to come and talk to you."

He put his arm around her shoulders and said, "I'm glad you came over."

"Really?" she asked.

He smiled and nodded. "I meant what I said Saturday night," he said, "about you being gorgeous." She smiled and blushed. "Awe," he said wrapping his other arm around her.

She kissed him.

"You shouldn't have done that," he said tightening his grip on her, "I'm not going to let you leave now."

"I have a question," she said. He nodded telling her to ask away. "Will you go out with me?"

"I thought I was supposed to ask you," he said.

"I guess I beat you to it," she said, "So?"

"What do you think?" he asked as he kissed her.

She pulled away. "I don't love you, though. I just really like you."

"Don't worry about it. I can wait until the time is right."

She smiled. "Now that we've talked about it, I have to go home and do my homework."

"Okay. Can I call you later?"

"Sure can."

"Give it to me after I drop you off at your house. Now that we're going out, I have to make sure that you're safe."

"You're adorable," she said shaking her head.